Naruto: My Nindo
by raydon
Summary: Think you know the story of Naruto? You have no idea. Join the teams on an exciting adventure. Rated M for safety. Pairings: Gaara/OC, Itachi/OC, Shikamaru/OC later on.
1. Prelude Ch1

"Big Brother!"

Sasuke ran, terrified, through the dark streets of the Uchiha Compound. He was searching for someone, anyone that could explain what was happening. However, no matter where he turned, he only found more death. Corner after corner, body after body; it was endless.

"W-who is doing this?" he managed to stutter out, but received only the cold, dead silence of the night in response.

He stumbled about, his wits gone. The trip home was taking him so long, he was beginning to fear he'd gotten lost in his panic.

Finally, after an eternity, there it was: he was home. His slight sense of relief was short-lived, however, as something was clearly wrong. The entire house was dark...and eerily quiet. As if it was vacant.

It wasn't supposed to be.

His father had specifically mentioned that he would be home that day. His mother never went anywhere unless it was unavoidable. She preferred to stay home with his sister, Kaiako, as she was forbidden to leave the house by their father. And his older brother, Itachi, should have been home by now.

So where was everyone?

Ignoring the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach, he burst through the front door (pausing momentarily to kick off his shoes), and began to immediately search the house frantically. Finally, after a lifetime of searching the entire compound...he found them: his family. However, as soon as he saw them, he wished he hadn't.

His mother and father lay lifeless and limp in pools of their own blood. His father's eyes, abandoned and cold, stared straight into his, almost as devoid of emotion as when he was alive. Almost. Then, something moved in the shadows, startling him. He felt a twinge of relief when he realized who had found him.

"I-Itachi! Mother and Father...what...who-who did..."

He stumbled incoherently through, unable to find the words to form a full sentence. Without a word, Itachi began to stare him down, as if he were deep in thought and he was searching the very core of Sasuke's being for the answer. Beyond the ability to form words, Sasuke stumbled forward, heading towards his brother. He took two steps when he felt a sharp pain slice through his shoulder. He looked down at his arm and saw a clean cut through the shoulder of his shirt. Glancing behind him, he saw one of Itachi's kunai embedded in the wall.

"B-brother! Why...?" Sasuke started, but a small squeak distracted him. He turned, only to find Kaiako peeking around the door frame, watching them intently. His eyes darted to Itachi, who was eyeing the small girl carefully, as if deciding his next course of action. There was a strange look in his eye...almost...remorseful. "Kai...Kaiako..." Sasuke stuttered out, terrified of what their older brother might do to her. She looked at him, fear clearly evident in her eyes.

"Kaiako. You shouldn't be here." Both of the younger Uchihas looked towards Itachi. His gaze never left her eyes.

"I-I couldn't sleep," she mumbled. She stepped out into the middle of the doorway in an attempt to seem braver than she actually felt. She was shy, thanks to years of being alone, and Itachi's stare terrified her.

"That is unfortunate," Itachi answered blankly; however, Sasuke saw that look in his eye again. The one that suggested he was about to do something he would regret.

Before she could even blink, Itachi was behind her, holding her in place by her left shoulder. Kaiako realized too late what he was thinking. Her eyes widened in terror, realizing full well what was about to happen. And without a moment's hesitation, a kunai dug deep into her throat, sliding quickly and painfully across. Blood immediately began to pour from the open wound.

"KAIAKO!" Sasuke screamed, turning Itachi's attention back to him.

Itachi dropped her unceremoniously onto the hard wooden floor. Sasuke could hear her choking and gasping for breath, but as his murderous brother started toward him, he could only back away.

"Sas..." Kaiako started, reaching toward him, but her plea was cut short by another coughing fit. Sasuke watched his sister for a moment, conflicted. He turned back towards Itachi, who was remarkably closer than he was a few seconds before. Instinctively, he ran. He stumbled out the door and into the street.

Kaiako watched her brother run away. He wasn't coming back, she realized, and she had mere seconds left. She simply laid there in a pool of her own blood and, as her vision faded to black and the last drop of her life slipped away, she realized something else. She had been completely abandoned by the two people that mattered most to her. Abandoned and left to die.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm not going to do one of these for every chapter so PAY ATTENTION!...thank you**

*clears throat* **this is a story that I have been writing with a friend of mine. It can also be found on quizilla. Anyway: we do not own naruto. All characters, except for the OCs, belong to Masashi Kishimoto. We're just borrowing them for entertainment purposes.**

-Two Years Later-

Naruto trudged angrily through the busy Konoha streets. He dodged person after person, looking for one specific egomaniac in particular. Just thinking about that self-centered jerkface caused him to emit a low growl in agitation. He just couldn't understand why everyone always fawned over that guy. He wasn't that great. "Stupid Sasuke..." As luck would have it, at that exact moment, he spotted him.

"Sasuke!" he yelled.

Nothing.

"HEY! SASUKE!"

Still nothing. His dark haired classmate simply ignored him and continued on his way. Somehow miraculously angrier than he was five minutes before, Naruto acted on his first instinct: chase that jerk DOWN.

Unfortunately, he was halted in his tracks almost immediately as he accidently slammed into a random passerby. Quite roughly. He wasted no time in apologizing profusely to the woman, but she obviously wasn't going to hear it. She glared viciously at him and began slapping imaginary dust of herself. Then, without a word, she pushed passed him, her awkward looking husband trailing behind. Naruto hadn't even noticed the man until, as they were leaving, he finally spoke.

"That was _him_ wasn't it?"

"Shut up!" the woman hissed.

_'Well,'_ Naruto thought, _'at least she's horrible to everyone.'_

That's when he heard it. A small cough, so quiet he almost missed it. It was coming, he thought, from the alleyway to his left.

At first, he didn't see anything. Confused, he continued on, away from the bustling streets and into the dank, depressing side street. He hit a dead end almost as soon as he started, yet he still didn't see anything that could have possibly...

There it was again. He turned toward the source of the noise and his shining blue eyes landed on a small figure hidden in a corner out of the way, head buried her knees and shaking slightly. He approached her cautiously, not quite sure what to expect.

"Hey..." he said. He spoke softly, so as not to startle the small girl.

Her head snapped up suddenly at his voice, and now Naruto could see her clearly. She was very small, pale, and obviously malnourished. She looked to be about his age, but she was so gaunt it was hard to tell for sure. She seemed as if she should be very pretty, if not for the fact that she hadn't been well cared for, probably for quite some time. She had long, untrimmed black hair and wild, nervous black eyes that he couldn't tear himself away from. They held untold amounts of pain and fear, yet something about them also seemed...somewhat insane.

"It's okay...I won't hurt you," he said, holding his hands up in front of him as proof. "Is it okay if I sit here by you?" The girl stared straight into his kind, bright blue eyes and simply nodded. Naruto slowly sat, and then smiled sweetly at her. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki. What's your name?" The girl opened her mouth to speak, but then closed it again. "That's okay," Naruto smiled again, "You don't have to say anything. I can talk enough for the both of us."

He watched her silently for a moment. She had visibly calmed some, so he tried another approach. "Do you have a home? Someplace I can take you back to?" She simply shook her head. No. She was alone. Just like him. "I don't have anyone either," Naruto said sadly. Then he got an idea.

"Hey," he smiled wide, "you can stay with me!"


	3. Chapter 3

-One Year After That-

Naruto slowly blinked himself awake and sighed as the day before rushed back to him. He had failed the ninja exam for the second time. He was starting to think he was never going to become a genin.

He sighed again and turned over, but was surprised to see that Kaia was not in her bed. It was odd, as she liked to sleep late.

At first, Naruto had simply given his new roommate his bed and he slept on the floor beside it. However, she apparently had a different idea. He woke up to find her clinging to him for dear life. The same thing happened the next night, and the next, until finally he decided that there was no point in them both being uncomfortable. So, he suggested that they share the bed for the time being, and she agreed.

It quickly became apparent that she would be staying for a while. For months, Naruto saved every penny he could until finally, he surprised her with a nice, new bed of her own. He kept it in his room beside his because, although he'd never proven it, he always got the feeling that she had terrible nightmares, and that his presence calmed her.

He rolled out of bed and yawned, then stretched wide and wandered toward the kitchen. He began to make himself some miso ramen, but then his eyes rested on Kaia and he stopped. She was simply sitting at the windowsill, her head resting in her hand and her half-open eyes glazed over. He wasn't really sure what she was looking at or what she was thinking about, but he thought it best to leave her be for a bit.

_"Mother...do you think I'm a monster?"_

_Mikoto looked at her small daughter in shock. "Of course not! Why would you even think that!"_

_Kaiako looked down sadly and mumbled, "Father thinks so."_

_Her mother leaned down and put her hands gently on her shoulders. "Your father doesn't think you're a monster, Kaiako."_

_"Then, why won't he let me leave the house? Unless, he's afraid of what I might do...or he's ashamed of the Uchiha family monster." She looked down again._

_"Now, you__listen__to me. Your father does not hate you, he is not ashamed of you, and he does not think you are a moster. He is simply trying to protect you," her mother said sternly._

_"Sasuke..."_

_Itachi's cold, blank eyes stared at her from somewhere in the darkness._

_"That is unfortunate."_

_"Protect me from what?" Kaiako asked, confused. She couldn't imagine Fugaku Uchiha wanting to protect anyone from anything._

_Mikoto looked grim as she considered her answer._

_"Everything."_

_"SASUKE!"_

"Hey...Kaia..."

Kaiako blinked herself awake and looked over to see a steaming hot bowl of ramen in her face. It seemed she had dozed off at some point. She pushed the bowl lightly down with her finger to reveal a grinning Naruto.

"I got hungry and I thought you might be too."

She smiled at the kind hearted blonde boy in front of her. The one who had opened up his home to her. The one who had nursed her back to health. The one she couldn't help but consider her best friend. "Thank you." She took the bowl from him and, to Naruto's surprise, followed him back to the table.

Generally, she stayed over by the windowsill, soaking in the quiet loneliness. He had tried to convince her that it wasn't good for her to be alone all of the time, but this was the first sign of interest she had shown in human contact. It made him feel slightly accomplished.

However, he still didn't know how she had ended up in that alleyway. In fact, he didn't even really know her name. She had only had the strength to rasp out what he assumed to be part of her first name. "Kaia." Ever since, that was just what he had called her. She seemed slightly annoyed by it at first, but as she refused to correct him (or speak at all most of the time) it was all he had to go on.

And as for her past and how she came to be where she was, Kaia hadn't been able to tell him what happened the day he had found her, and she hadn't seemed up to it since. And he didn't want to press the issue.

Naruto looked up from his bowl. Kaia simply ate quietly, staring at nothing. He couldn't help but wonder what all she wasn't saying.

Then, he had an idea.

"Hey, Kaia?" She looked up at him quizzically. "Do you think you're ready now?"

She suddenly threw up her defenses, unsure of what he was talking about. "For what?"

Naruto laughed and, if possible, caught her even more off guard. Then he smiled at her agitated look. He knew she didn't like being kept out of the loop. "To go outside. You know, see the village."

"I..." She blinked at Naruto for a moment, "can we?"

He laughed again. "Of course!" He jumped up, throwing on his shoes as fast as humanly possible. "It's about time we found you some clothes of your own, anyway."

She glanced down. She had been wearing some of Naruto's old stuff for a while now. The clothes she had been wearing when he had found her were practically dyed red with her own blood and were covered in small, irksome tears. He kept saying he was going to take her to see the village and buy her some of her own, but she hadn't really had the courage to go out into the world before now. She refused to cower inside any longer. And that's when a small smirk formed on her lips. "Yeah, I guess orange isn't really my color."


	4. Chapter 4

Naruto and Kaia walked around the village for hours. Kaia had long come out of her shell. She had been immediately fascinated with the shops and the people and drug Naruto everywhere and every way. He had actually been quite surprised with her enthusiasm, as he had expected her to be much more difficult. Instead, she asked him questions about everything she found even remotely interesting and even went so far as to strike up a conversation with a couple of his classmates. He just happily went along with her excitement. He couldn't help it. It was so nice to see her out of her sullen, unhappy state that he couldn't bear the thought of bringing her down. However, nothing in any of the clothing shops had caught her eye for as much as a second. That was until...

"There!" She grabbed Naruto's arm and pulled him to a complete and sudden stop. So sudden, in fact, he fell backwards onto the ground.

"WHAT WAS THAT FOR!" He jumped to his feet, ready to give her what for, when he realized she wasn't even paying attention to him. "Uhhh...Kaia?" He waved a hand in front of her face. "What are you looking at?"

"That one," she stated simply, and pointed to an outfit displayed in a nearby shop window.

"That one?" He looked at her, puzzled. Something about it didn't exactly fit her.

"Of course," she said thoughtfully, "it will require a few...adjustments here and there."

"Adjustments?" He wasn't exactly following where this was going. He was just about to ask what she was talking about, when she plowed on with her analysis.

She shook her head. "And of course the color scheme is just all wrong."

"Of course," he said, hoping the words covered up his complete confusion.

Kaia gave him a smile that said she clearly realized he was lost on was was going on and stuck out her hand. "Give me the money and I'll be back."

"But..." He started, but she didn't waver for a second.

"Give me the money and I'll be back."

He sighed and dug into his pocket for his wallet. "Fine. Here" He lightly tossed it to her and she caught it with ease.

She stared at it strangely for a second. "It's a frog."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah. If that's a problem you can always just give it back."

She clutched the bag to her closely. "What? No problem," she said quickly and darted off into the shop.

Naruto watched her retreating form with a laugh and a shrug. "Well, it was worth a shot," he mumbled, and took a seat to wait for her return.

After what seemed like hours, Kaia finally returned with her take on the outfit she'd been so taken with in the window.

It was basically the same, except it was a bright, blood red color, and everything that had once been light blue was now black. However, he noticed that she had left the shorts underneath as they were. Also, she had gotten rid of the brown arm sleeve (both of the arms now matched evenly) and the mask had been completely discarded. That's when he realized why it had seemed wrong before. She had one of those faces that wasn't meant to be covered.

"Wow," Naruto said._ 'So that's what she meant by "adjustments,"'_ he thought.

"So it's good then?" she asked, seemingly self-conscious.

"You look great! Much better!"

"Thank you," she said quietly, and Naruto couldn't help but smile when she hugged him.

"For what?" he asked nervously, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

Kaia smiled. "For everything."


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone! I was gonna put this in the last chapter but kind of spaced out. Sorry for the late updates. Between writers block and my other author trying to finish a semester of school….and me with work….it's been hectic to say the least. Anyway, we'll try and keep this updated as much as we can. Don't give up on us! Remember to R&R!**

**Now….ON TO THE STORY!**

**We don't own Naruto….never will. We just like to have fun with all the characters!**

Kaia sighed heavily as she watched Naruto pester the proprietor of the local ramen shop. However, by the man's mannerisms, she got the impression that her friend was a frequent visitor. It seemed that they had just enough money left over to get something to eat. When Naruto had suggested this place, he had been thoroughly shocked that she had not only ever been there, but she had never even heard of it.

"See, I told you!" Naruto exclaimed happily as the man slipped into the back to prepare his fifth bowl. "Ichiraku's is the best there is!"

Kaia smiled. "You're right. It is good."

Naruto laughed. "Of course, I'm right! I know my ramen!"

Kaia rolled her eyes, but couldn't suppress a laugh.

Sasuke wandered aimlessly around the streets of Konoha. He couldn't bear to be alone in his apartment any longer. The last couple weeks his sister's death had been haunting him even more so than usual. His every moment was terrorized by her horror-filled eyes and desperate pleas for help. His help. It ripped his heart to shreds every time he thought of how he abandoned her. It shamed him to think how selfish, naive, and scared he used to be. The person he was now would have saved her without as much as a thought. However, it really didn't matter what he would do now. It was much too late.

Kaia and Naruto slowly strolled down the street. It was just beginning to get dark, and Kaia had seen all there was to see in Konoha, so they had begun to head back. They had a bit of a walk ahead of them, but neither of them actually seemed to mind. They were almost back to the small apartment, when Kaia suddenly stopped.

Sasuke ducked into an alley as he saw Sakura and Ino both heading towards him from opposite directions. He wasn't in the mood to deal with lovesick idiots. He hug back a few extra minutes after they had passed, just to be sure that they were really gone. He was just about to sneak from the shadows that had been shielding him, when a girl stopped to stare, emotionless, into the dark.

For a moment, Naruto hadn't even realized that she wasn't following him anymore. He had been so wrapped up in what he was talking about. He turned, spotting his friend staring blankly into nothing.

"Kaia!" No response. "Kaia!" Still no response. She seemed not to hear him at all. He walked back to her slowly and tried again. "Hey, Kaia, what are you looking at?" He followed her gaze. "There's nothing there."

She slowly turned to him. "This is where you found me," she said simply.

"Oh." He knew he should have said something better, but it was the only way he could think to respond.

Sasuke almost called out to her, demanding that she identify herself, when that idiot Naruto walked up and said something to her that he couldn't hear. She nodded lightly started to turn back to Naruto when a small bit of the remaining light caught her features.

Sasuke had to suppress a gasp. She had long, coal black hair, and matching dark eyes. Just like an Uchiha. Just like-. Then he caught sight of a long, thin white scar that stretched across her throat. There was no doubt in his mind. This girl was his dead sister.

"Hey," Naruto spoke up cheerily, rubbing the back of his head nervously. "We should head home, huh?"

Kaia gave a small smile, small but genuine. "Yeah. We should."

Sasuke was so stunned at this startling turn of events that he almost missed them walk away. He immediately jumped to action, rushing after them. He caught up to them easily, as they had been taking their time.

"Kaiako!" he yelled from behind them, and the girl froze.

Naruto turned on him swiftly. "Sasuke! What do you want!" Sasuke ignored him, unable to remove his gaze from the small girl in front of him. "HEY! SASUKE! DIDN'T YOU HEAR ME! I SAID WHAT-" Sasuke cut him off.

"Aren't you going to at least _look_ at me, Kaiako?" He narrowed his eyes when he got no answer. She continued staring in front of her; however the tension in her stance was clear. He sauntered up to her and grabbed hold of her forearm, whipping her around to face him.

"HEY! GET-!," Naruto started, but before he could finish chastising Sasuke for his horrible manners, Kaia let out an earth-shattering shriek and dropped to the ground, her hands grasping at her head. Naruto was immediately at her side. "Kaia! Kaia, are you okay? What's wrong?" Angry he glowered at Sasuke. "See what you did, you insensitive jerked!"

Sasuke was about to retort when he noticed that Kaiako was muttering frantically and shaking her head. Naruto must have realized this as well because he forgot about Sasuke and focused back on her. "Hey," Naruto said soothingly, "hey what's wrong? I can't hear you."

She stopped muttering and looked up at Naruto. Her breath was ragged and her eyes frightened and she was shaking uncontrollably. It only got worse when she saw Sasuke. She screwed her eyes closed tight. "Don't." She almost squeaked out. "Please don't send me back." She looked back up at Sasuke, tears streaming down her face. "I don't want to go back!" she screeched. "Please don't send me back! I don't want to go back!"

Confused, Sasuke narrowed his eyes in concentration. "Back where?"

"To the darkness..."

Both boys gave a slight start. "No one's going to hurt you, Kaia," Naruto said softly. Then he added pointedly, "Sasuke might be a first-class jerk, but he won't hurt you."

Sasuke glared half-heartedly at the blonde, but snapped back to Kaiako when he saw that she was beginning to stand. "Come on, Kaiako. We should get home. There are quite a few things in need of explaining."

"HOLD ON!" Naruto piped up automatically. "She's not going anywhere with you! Didn't you see what just happened! All she did was look at you and-"

"Naruto," Sasuke said, annoyed. "I appreciate you looking after my sister; however your assistance is no longer necessary. She will be returning to live with me."

"Sis-WHAT?"

"Naruto." Both Sasuke and Naruto turned to Kaia. She had visibly calmed, and was staring at Naruto with a strange expression on her face. "Can I speak to you for a moment?"

Taken completely off guard, Naruto managed to stammer out, "O-of course." She led him off, away from an angry looking Sasuke. They stood in silence for a moment before Naruto blurted out, "Why didn't you tell me that Sasuke was your brother?"

"I didn't want to talk about it," she answered quietly.

"Oh." He was somewhat relieved. He had been afraid that she did not trust him with any sort of information regarding her or her past.

"Naruto," she said looking down. Naruto waited patiently for her to go on, but when she did, he didn't like what she had to say. "Sasuke is right."

"WHAT! WHAT DO YOU MEAN HE'S RIGHT?," he yelled angrily, causing Sasuke to smirk. "HE-."

"Naruto," she said calmly. He looked at her, his expression a mixture of sadness and confusion, and let her continue. "There are some things my...," she hesitated, "my brother...and I have to sort out. However, there is something I need you to know..."

"What is it?"

Kaia glanced down and sighed before she went on. "I am eternally grateful for everything you have done for me. I don't think there's enough money and good deeds in the world with which I could repay you."

Naruto was shocked at first, but then gave a small smile. "All you need to do is be my friend."

A tear slid down her cheek again. "I've never actually had a friend before," she said hugging Naruto tightly, "and I don't think I could possibly imagine a better one than you."


	6. Chapter 6

They ate in silence. Sasuke couldn't help but stare at his sister from time to time. It was all just so unreal. He was terrified that it wasn't real. That it was just a dream. Finally he couldn't stand the silence any longer. He had to ask the question that had been bothering him since the moment he had laid eyes on his sibling again. "How are you alive?"

"I don't know," she said, not even bothering a glance up from her food. It was a lie. She knew what had happened, or at least, she had her theory. She just didn't want to talk to him about it.

Sasuke stared at Kaia momentarily, then, recognizing that she wasn't about to say another word on the subject, he moved on to a much touchier topic. "I will kill him, Kaiako," he said quietly, resolve leaking from every word. "I don't care what it takes. I don't care if it takes forever. I will make him pay for what he did to our clan; for what he did to _you_. I will have my revenge." He watched her for a reaction. When he got none, he continued. "_We_ will have our revenge."

"No," she stated blankly.

"What? What do you mean 'no'?"

"Well," she said thoughtfully. Her tone was one of arrogant contempt; however she was clearly annoyed at something. "Generally speaking, 'no' is a term used to express disapproval-"

"Kaiako..." he said sternly. He wasn't entirely sure what she was getting at, but he wasn't going to put up with her sarcasm. The subject in itself infuriated him deep to the roots of his being and put him highly on edge. He didn't need her making it worse.

She sighed. She supposed she might as well just get to the point. He wasn't going to like it, but she didn't really care about what he thought. She was too busy being angry with him for that nonsense. "No, I'm not going to try and kill Itachi and no, I don't think you should either."

"Why not?" Both his voice and his anger were rising. "How can you just let him get away with all that he took from us! He-" But he didn't get a chance to finish, because Kaia cut him off.

"I'm fully aware of what he did, Sasuke. I just don't care."

"HOW CAN YOU SAY THAT?" Sasuke was raging furious now, but he forced himself calm before he continued. "After all he did, how can you still defend him?"

Kaia sighed and ran her fingers through her long, coal black hair. "I'm not defending him, but I'm not supporting you either."

"Why not? I would think you of all people would understand!" He was finally able to return his voice back to its usual tone; however he could not rid himself of his hateful glare. "He tried to kill you, Kaiako."

She narrowed her eyes. "He succeeded." Ignoring Sasuke's shocked face, she continued. "You and I are too young for vendettas. Revenge tends to consume a person's entire being, replacing all that you once were with hatred and blind fury. We would only drive ourselves into the ground with obsession. It's simply a bad idea, and I will not help you destroy yourself." She stood and walked towards the door, wrenching it open. However, she turned back to her brother, as she wasn't quite finished. "If you want to compensate for the size of your penis, join a sport. You're less likely to get killed," she told him sternly, then strode out of the apartment, slamming the door behind her.


	7. Chapter 7

**I realize that NONE of us have introduced the OCs**

**We're sooo sorry *bows repeatedly***

**Well, as most of you have figured out, Kaia is Sasuke's twin sister.**

**And, in this chapter, we introduce Neji's twin sister, Syn.**

**Enjoy!**

-One MORE Year After That-

"So let me get this straight," the Hokage started, "you want her in the academy, but you don't want her in the same class as her brother?"

The man standing in front of Sarutobi nodded.

"Yes, that is correct."

"Mr. Hiashi, I know you want her in school, but why not put her in the same class with Neji? It would be much easier on her," the Hokage asked.

"I do not WANT her in school. However, she insists upon it." Hiashi corrected him.

"Either way, if you put her in this class, she will be a year older than all the other students..." the Hokage pointed out.

"I am aware of that. This is my choice, as the head of the family. I have discussed it with the Elders and they agree that given her...condition...this is what is best for her." Hiashi explained.

The Hokage sighed, but didn't argue.

"Very well. I'll put her down. She'll begin in a few days," he said, picking up his pen and signing a few papers.

"Thank you," Hiashi said, bowing slightly.

Kaia stared at her brother indignantly. How could he suggest that of her? To ask that she would even consider…she couldn't believe it! No. She wouldn't do it. Not even for him.  
>"Well? Will you do it or not?" he asked again. Then he rolled his eyes and added, "And close your mouth, it's not that big of a deal." She hadn't realized that her eyes had bulged out of her head and her mouth had fallen agape until just that second. She snapped her jaw shut, and attempted to do something with her eyes. Somehow, in clamping her eyelids half shut and screwing up her nose she managed to bulge them out more. "All you have to do is..."<br>"Oh, I know what you want me to do! I just don't get why!"

"Because you're my sister."

"That's not good enough. Why else?"

"If you don't, you'll ruin the Uchiha name."

"Don't care. Try again."

"You'll get to hurt things."

"Where do I sign up?"

"Syn, come here" Hiashi said, walking through the door. There was the soft thumping of bare feet coming down the stairs. A 13 year old girl stepped into the main hall, her hair held loosely behind her.

"Yes, uncle?" she asked, trying to hide the excitement in her voice. She knew her uncle had just returned from meeting with the Hokage, which meant that he had talked about her going to school.

"I have just finished speaking with the Hokage," Hiashi started. Syn waited patiently for him to continue. "You will be starting school in a few days. And I have had you placed in this year's class" he finished.

Syn's smile quickly faded as she heard the last part of that sentence. "This year's class? As in...the class behind Neji's?" she asked. "Yes" he answered. Syn took a deep breath, keeping her emotions in check.

"This isn't what I wanted. I wanted to be in the same class as Neji."

"We have already discussed this, Syn. You are going into this year's class and that is final," Hiashi said simply, ending the argument.

"This isn't fair!" Syn shouted, storming up the stairs.

"I am not done with you yet," Hiashi said, causing her to stop and turn back. "I am not happy about you wanting to go to school with your...condition," he started.

"It's not a condition," Syn muttered, rolling her eyes.

Hiashi ignored her and continued, "however, I will warn you now: if you slip up at all, I will pull you out instantly. Do you understand?" Syn took another deep breath, trying to calm herself down. She could feel the other's presence trying to surface, but she pushed it back down. "I asked you a question. Do you understand?" Hiashi asked again.

"Yes...I understand" she finally answered.

"Good. You may go now" Hiashi told her.

Syn bowed slightly and continued up the stairs. She growled in frustration as she headed to her room. She all but slammed her door shut and flopped down on her bed. '_This isn't fair. I wanted to be in the same class as Neji_' she thought.

'_He's never given you what you want_,' another voice told her.

'_I know. But, you would think that this ONE time-_' Syn started.

'_You know that'll never happen as long as I'm here. I already offered to get rid of him for you,'_ the other interrupted.

'_And I've already told you, we can't do that. We would be in so much trouble_' Syn told it.

'_I'm just saying_' it said.

'_And I'm telling you we can't, so drop it_' Syn said with an agitated sigh, ending the conversation. There was a soft knock on her door and Syn buried her head under her pillows. "Go away" she told whoever it was, her response half muffled by the pillows. She heard her door open and someone walk in. She pulled her head out from under the pillows and saw her brother standing beside her bed.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting down on the bed beside her.

"Everything" Syn answered, sitting up and tossing the pillow on the other side of the room.

"Wanna talk about it?" Neji asked her, watching the pillow sail across the room.

"It's Hiashi. He KNEW I wanted to be put in your class, and he stuck me in THIS year's class. He's NEVER given me anything I wanted" Syn fumed, her eyes slowly turning a dark purple.

"Syn, calm down. You know what happens when you get upset" Neji warned. Syn took a deep breath and slowly calmed down.

"Sorry" she said, her eyes returning to their normal milky white.

"You know he's just trying to protect you" Neji said.

"No he's not. He's trying to protect the Hyuga name. God forbid that someone find out about the Hyuga monster" Syn told him, crossing her arms.

"You are not a monster...you're just different. And don't you ever believe anything other than that" Neji told her, pulling her into a hug.

"Thanks" she said, hugging him back.

The next thing Kaia knew, she was sitting in the Hokage's office.

"So..." the old man said, scrutinizing the girl before him carefully, "you want to join the ninja academy?"

"No," Kaiako answered surprising everyone. Sasuke glared down at her. She shrugged. "Well I don't." She huffed, crossing her arms and sliding down in her seat. "Sasuke made me."

Sasuke rolled his eyes again. He found he'd been doing that a lot since his sister came back into his life. Although, he realized, he shouldn't be surprised. She HAD been trained in social graces by Naruto.

He watched as she proceeded to complain to the leader of their village about the necessity of learning and other such nonsense. The old man simply laughed and went along with her crazy notions. Sasuke sighed. She was going to be a handful.

He had realized a long time ago that she was not the same little girl he used to know. Of course, he really shouldn't complain, he supposed, as he wasn't the same little boy either. The only problem was, he couldn't tell whether the two of them had changed for the better or worse.

He had been so naive back then, and Kaiako was so quiet and reserved. She was always scared of something._ 'Not anymore,'_ he thought, _'neither one of us will ever be the same again.'_

Kaiako stood and shook hands warmly with the Hokage. Apparently they had come to some form of agreement. "So then, Miss. Kaia. I can expect expect you in class next week, bright eyed and _on time_?

The emphasis on the phrase "on time" was not lost on Sasuke. Apparently Kaia caught it as well, as she flashed him a mischievous grin and stated simply, "I'll give it my best shot."


	8. Chapter 8

**We are soooo sorry it took so long to get this up...my co-author didn't tell me she had this finished XP. Anyway! On with the story!**

Kaia was aggravated. She sat grumbling beside her unfathomably stoic brother and in and indescribably bland classroom with a bunch of strangers that she didn't care a whole lot about. To make the entire situation surprisingly more intolerable, it was at a point in the morning that she'd never actually been awake to experience before. And as she glanced around at the vacant expressions of her so-called "peers" (or at least the ones that had shown up as early as Sasuke had forced her to) it occurred to her that she hadn't been missing much, not by sleeping in or by her father's refusal to send her to the academy. She let out an agitated sigh at the thought. There was no reason that she should be there. She was an Uchiha. She was smart and full of natural-born talent just as the rest of her now practically non-existent clan had been before her.

But as the Hokage had pointed out to her in his office, none of that mattered unless you had written certification. She scoffed and rested her head on her hands. _'Written certification,'_ she thought bitterly. _'I refuse to seek validation from such a pointless institution. Why should I have to prove myself when, clearly, I am perfectly capable?'_

_**'You know why...'**_ a silky female voice answered. It was dripping with fake concern and poorly disguised malice. _**'They don't think you're good enough to play with all the other wannabe ninja brats. They just want to see how long it will take you to snap so they have an excuse to put you down like the disgusting little pussycat you are. All they see is scum. You're a monster dear, just like me. BECAUSE of me.'**_

Kaia leaned back again, crossing her arms in annoyance. _'If I want your opinion, I'll ask you specifically.'_

A cold, devilish laugh echoed from the deepest pit of her mind. _**'Don't pretend that you haven't realized it already. No one actually wants you alive. They're disappointed you survived the massacre. They think you killed them. That we killed them."**_

_'No. They don't.' _She narrowed her eyes. She was already close to her limit and it wasn't even eight in the morning._ 'Besides, I would never have done something like that.'_

The demon gave another heartless laugh. _**"You're right. You were too much of a pathetic weakling to seize your own future.' **_She paused a moment. _**'But, I would've.'**_

_'I wouldn't have let you.'_

_**'You wanted to. I could feel your hatred. Your torment. Your fear. I could have easily overtaken you and satisfied your bloodlust.'**_

_'Then, why didn't you?'_

_**'I suppose that I enjoyed the taste of your suffering a little too much. But, I've had my fill of that for the moment. I need more.'**_

_'Sucks for you.'_

_**'Exactly how long do you think you can keep living here? Daddy's little embarrassing secret is starting to come out, dearest. I've seen the way people stare at you.'**_

_'Oh, shut up. No one alive knows about you. Not even Sasuke. Father was very careful to cover all of his bases.'_

_**'Are you sure about that?'**_

Kaia sat up straight and narrowed her eyes. _'What exactly are you getting at, Kirisa?'_

_**'I simply mean that things are not always as they appear,' **_she purred. Kaia could practically hear the smirk on her face. Kirisa was fully aware that she was beginning to get to her.

"Kaiako...," Sasuke said sternly, "stop fidgeting."

She hadn't realized it before, but at some point she had started to tap her fingernails rapidly (and loudly) on the table in front of her. She didn't remember leaning forward onto her hand, and her leg was shaking uncontrollably. Unhappy that her brother was telling her what to do, she answered heatedly, "I can fidget, or I can leave. Pick one."

Sasuke had to repress a groan. There was absolutely no winning with her. Admittedly, he understood her irritation. All of this was new to her, and Kaiako had never been a fan of new. _'Not to mention,'_ he thought dryly, _'we're surrounded by imbeciles.'_

Almost on cue, the door exploded open.


	9. Author's Note

**Author's Note**

**We just want to apologize for not uploading any new chapters for a while. We promise we're NOT abandoning the story; we just have had a hard time coming up with the next chapter. Just bear with us and we'll try to have something up soon. Thanks for putting up with us.**


End file.
